


Pole’s Not So-Secret Valentine

by p_diyos



Series: Modern BFFs AU [1]
Category: Heneral Luna (2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Crack, Fluff, Friendship, High school palang alam na ni Miong na mahal niya si Pole pls lang, M/M, Multi, Pining, Romantic Comedy, Unrequited Love, Valentine's Day, for now
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-14
Updated: 2016-02-14
Packaged: 2018-05-17 05:42:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,086
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5856331
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/p_diyos/pseuds/p_diyos
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which the entire class knows except Pole, Miong is pining, and he curses the gods for his rotten luck.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Pole’s Not So-Secret Valentine

**Author's Note:**

> Same AU as Defense Mechanisms, Blue Rose, and Love Notes. I thought it'd be great to take it all the way back to high school, featuring a pining!Miong and forever clueless!Pole. That seems to be constant in most AUs, yes?
> 
> I did my best to make it in time for Valentines'. I will go back to updating Spirit of the Forest soon, I promise!
> 
> And yes, I did create the tag for Selong, and I only have durch_artist_wannabe to blame. Miong and Selong fighting for Pole's affections is an amusing thought to me.

_THUD._ “Guys!”

 

The sound echoed throughout the classroom, stopping all forms of shouting and chatter. Everyone either looked up from reading their notes (Joven and Pepe), turned their heads away from their cell phones (Goyong), or stepped down from their armchairs (Rusca and José). 

 

Miong, with anger still boiling in his veins, lowered his hand that hovered over the chalkboard, sending a death glare to every person in the room. “Respeto naman, _please_.”

 

Beside him, Pole pressed his lips together, glancing worriedly at Miong before turning to face their now-guilty-looking classmates. “Okay.” Miong noticed that he kept his voice leveled, though still a little strained. “Dahil tatlong linggo nalang bago ang Valentines’, naisip namin ni Miong na simulan ang class Secret Valentines.”

 

Loud murmurs broke the heavy silence as Pole raised an open plastic box filled to the brim with pieces of folded paper. “Nandito lahat ng pangalan niyo. Bumunot kayo ng pangalan, dahil pinost na ni Joven ang lahat ng wish list natin sa FaceBook. Walang lalagpas sa five hundred, please. Tonio, ikaw muna.”

 

From the back of the room, Tonio abandoned his chair and marched to the front, swiftly retrieving a piece of paper from the box. His shoulders shook as soon as he read the name, a smile spreading across his face.

 

“Ha! Madali lang ‘to.” He commented joyfully, refolding the paper and placing it inside the breast pocket of his uniform.

 

Miong did his best to collect himself, inhaling and exhaling deeply as Pole called Manuel to pick the next name. Sometimes he loved his classmates, but they were the noisiest, most rambunctious people to ever be placed in one room. It was one thing to deal with them for a year or two, but until the end of senior year was ridiculous.

 

The only person that made things easier, but at the same time made all the heat rise to his cheeks, was - 

 

Pole’s voice broke Miong’s train of thought. “Rusca, bakit?” 

 

“ _Tangina naman!_ ” Rusca exclaimed, a sour expression on his face as he crumbled the paper in his hand. “Sa lahat pa ng taong pwede kong bunutin!“

 

“Ayusin mo nga yang bunganga mo, Rusca!” Andoy hollered. “Puro nalang mura naririnig ko sa’yo!”

 

“Hinaan niyo boses niyo!” Pole scolded from the front, holding the emptying box a little higher for Joven to choose a piece. 

 

Miong closed his eyes, anger dissipating to numbness. He wasn’t going to be able to concentrate on their next class if he was upset, and it didn’t help that said class (Trigo, _ugh_ ) frustrated him to no end. 

 

“Lahat ba meron na?” Pole lifted his chin to scan the room as Paco and Pepe nodded from their seats, before turning to Miong and holding the box out. 

 

“Ikaw muna.” He gave the box a shake, and Miong couldn’t stop the smile forming on his face as he picked a piece and unfolding it with his thumbs. Written in his horrible, boxy script was the name he hoped not to get.

 

_Apolinario Mabini._

 

Shet.

 

His blood instantly ran cold, a sense of dread crawling into his heart. Perhaps it was foolish of him to think that his chances of getting his best friend were slim to none, considering they were a small class. He must have done something wrong for fate to throw this in his face.

 

“Miong?” Pole’s voice brought him back to the present, and Miong peered over his hands to see his best friend frowning up at him. “Okay ka lang?”

 

He blinked once, before lowering his hands, closing his fist on his right where the strip of paper was. “Ah…oo.”

 

The furrow in Pole’s eyebrows grew. “Mahirap ba ‘yung nabunot mo?”

 

“O-Okay lang naman.” Miong stuttered pathetically. _Okay lang_ , he thought, _okay na okay talaga_.

 

*

 

**Pole’s Wish List**

  1. Any black pen
  2. Coffee tumbler (nothing too expensive)
  3. The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera
  4. Plain black journal, no lines



 

 

*

 

_Day 1_

 

Miong slid a neon green Post-It and black marker across the dining table, towards his brother. “Kuya, pasulat naman. Para sa Secret Valentine ko.”

 

Crispulo huffed, taking another bite of his Honey Stars. “‘Yoko nga.”

 

“ _Kuya, s_ ige na, please!” Miong begged, clasping his two hands together. “Alam na kasi ni Pole yung sulat ko!”

 

“Si Pole yung Secret Valentine mo?” Felicidad piped upon entering the kitchen, placing her empty plate  in the sink.

 

“ _AYIEEEE_!” Chorused the rest of his siblings. Even his mother who was busy frying eggs didn’t hide her smile. 

 

“Pwede ba! Umagang-umaga eh!” Miong exclaimed at them, heat rushing to his cheeks before turning back to his brother. “Kuya sige na, isang note lang! Si Ate na yung sa next! Kuya -“

 

Crispulo rolled his eyes and snatched the Post-It. “Landi mo talaga.” He said as he uncapped the marker. “O, ano susulat ko?”

 

“Aba, nagparamdam na yung Valentine mo!” Tonio commented cheerfully as he passed by Pole’s desk later that morning. From the corner of his eye, Miong watched nervously as Pole scanned the note. 

 

“Friendly,” was his only comment, before opening his notebook and tucking the note safely inside.

 

“Ano sabi?” Miong asked as nonchalantly as he could, peering to the side.

 

“‘ _Good morning! Hope you have a great week ahead.’_ Simple lang, may heart pa.” 

 

Miong remembered how long it took to convince his brother to draw the heart, which only resulted to a small drawing that looked more like a deformed potato. Not that potatoes had definite forms. “Parang kulang sa effort.”

 

Pole shrugged. “Wala namang problema kung notes lang. Nakakatuwa nga eh.”

 

Miong turned away to hide his smile. He allowed himself a mental pat on the shoulder as he went about the rest of his day.

 

*

 

_Day 6_

 

“Out of stock?” Miong exclaimed, stomach dropping to his feet.

 

The lady behind the counter frowned apologetically. “Pasensiya na po, Sir. Matagal na rin pong out of stock yung librong ‘yun. Marami nga po nagpapa-reserve, eh.”

 

“Kailan kaya kayo magkaka-stock?”

 

She bit her bottom lip. “Baka end of the month pa po.”

 

“Masyadong late na ‘yun.” He sighed. “Sige, salamat nalang.”

 

Miong walked away from the counter dejectedly. The book that he remembered seeing piles of last month was suddenly obsolete in all three major bookstores in the entire Metro. That was nearly an entire week wasted on trying to find the damn thing.

 

 _Okay lang_ , he told himself with a huff. There were three other items on the list. Three more opportunities to impress Pole. He just had to put a little more effort on the rest, and he would be fine. 

 

*

 

_Day 9_

 

Miong might have gone overboard.

 

“ _Isang box ng G-Tec_?” José hollered from behind Pole’s seat. Miong bent his head and hid his smug smile as the rest of the class focused on Pole, who opened the box containing a dozen pens. 

 

“Ang yaman ng nakabunot sa’yo.” Manuel commented, staring at the box with interest.

 

“Ang mahal masyado…” Pole muttered, picking out one pen gingerly. Miong remembered Pole borrowing his own G-Tec when they were in freshman year, and only remembering to return it when it was nearly empty. He figured his best friend deserved _at least_ this much. “Okay na sana yung Post-It notes.”

 

“Pahingi naman niyan!” Andoy said with pleading eyes, which made Miong’s blood boil. The nerve -

 

“Sige ba,” Pole answered calmly, handing the pen at hand to Andoy, who gaped in surprise. Miong’s eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets.

 

“Talaga?”

 

Pole shrugged. “Hindi ko magagamit ‘tong lahat.” He replied simply. The rest of the class gasped.

 

“Ako din, pahingi!” Rusca shouted.

 

“Pole, ako din!” Pepe chirped from the back.

 

“Pwedeng ako rin?” Joven asked timidly.

 

Miong watched in horror as Pole gave out his pens like candy, to the joy of the rest of the class. He gripped his arm chair so hard his knuckles turned white, but he dared not make a sound. Not at the expense of being found out this early. In the end, the entire class was filled with excited chatter and Pole was left with two pens.

 

He turned to Miong and offered one, which he refused shakily. “M-Marami pa ako.” His voice broke mid-sentence.

 

“Sobra-sobra naman kasi ang isang box.” Pole said, opening the pen and testing it on the back of his notebook. “Gusto ko nga yung MyGel lang, eh.”

 

Miong fought the urge to bang his head on his desk.

 

*

 

_Days 15 & 16_

 

_Hindi niya siguro ipapamigay yung next gift._

 

Pole flipped the box open, and slid out a tall, gold tumbler. Turning it around with his slender fingers, his eyes widened when he saw the familiar logo of a siren.

 

“Galing naman ng SV niyo po.” Joven remarked shyly, to which Miong lowered his head, hiding his grin.

 

“Joven,” Pole sighed exasperatedly, placing the tumbler on his desk. “Matagal ko nang sinabi na ‘wag kang mag-po, please.”

 

“Starbucks pa talaga.” Miong commented beside him as he aimlessly doodled on Pole’s notebook, mostly to make it look like he didn’t care. He hid his left hand on his lap though, as it was shaking from nervousness.

 

Pole frowned. “Nakakahiya nga eh.”

 

“Bahala mo na siya.” He responded, pressing on the paper with his pen even more to hide his nerves. “Nabasag din naman yung luma mong tumbler. Mukhang matibay naman ‘yan.”

 

“Dapat lang.” Pole glanced at the tumbler again. “Sayang naman din kung hindi ko gagamitin.” He resolved, still with a tinge of uncertainty. 

 

The next day, Miong smiled smugly as he walked beside Pole, who had his usual barako coffee in his new gold tumbler. He left part of the lid open, tiny tendrils of smoke curling out, as it was still slightly hot when they arrived in school.

 

“Magkakaquiz kaya tayo sa English?” He asked as they entered the main building, stopping at the foot of the stairs. 

 

“Meron, kasi patapos na tayo sa _Hamlet_.” Pole replied, pressing the green button on the wheelchair lift, the machine whirring to life. “May notes ako.”

 

Miong’s eyes lit up with hope, and before he could speak, Pole chuckled. “Sige na, papabasa ko sa’yo mamayang recess.”

 

He felt like he could sing. “Libre kita ng lunch.”

 

Pole let out a ‘tsk’ and waved his hand. “‘Wag na. Palagi mo akong linilibre. Magsama kayo ng Secret Valentine ko.”

 

“Pole! Miong!”

 

 _Punyeta._ Miong’s jaw tightened, holding back a growl, and he turned his head slowly to his right. _Wala, sira na araw ko_.

 

“Selong.” Pole smiled as he greeted the approaching senior, the sight making Miong’s blood boil. “Hindi ka late ngayon, ah.”

 

“Uy grabe,” Selong stopped in front of them and ran his fingers through his wind-swept hair, cheeks reddening. “Gumigising naman ako nang maaga minsan.” He turned to Miong and smiled, but _I swear_ , Miong could see beyond his plastic facade. “Kumusta ka, Miong?”

 

“Okay naman,” He managed through gritted teeth. “Ito, kasama pa rin si Pole.” He let out an amused laugh. 

 

“Kailan naman hindi, diba?” Pole said.

 

“‘Pag kasama mo ako, siyempre.” Selong smiled smugly, and it took Miong all of his willpower not to punch that look off his face. 

 

_Selong - 1, Miong - 0_

 

Pole just glanced between the two of them, eyebrows furrowing. “Ah…Selong, mauuna kami ni Miong. Baka malate pa kami.”

 

“Tulungan ko kayo umakyat.” Selong proposed, reaching for the handle of Pole’s wheelchair and in the process, knocking the tumbler full of coffee out of Pole’s hand and onto his uniform.

 

Miong was the first to react. “Pole!” He allowed himself a quick glare at Selong before tending to his best friend, kneeling down in front of him, assessing the damage.

 

“Okay lang ako.” Pole said, surprised but not worried, as he wiped the remaining liquid off his polo. “Hindi na siya mainit. May panyo ka ba?”

 

Both Miong and Selong hurriedly scrambled for a clean handkerchief, in which Miong won, placing his on Pole’s open palm at the speed of light.

 

_Selong - 1, Miong - 1_

 

“May extra silang uniform sa Principal’s Office.” Miong grabbed a handful of tissues from his bag and gave those to Pole as well. “Pwede tayong dumaan doon.”

 

“Ako na lang ang maghahatid kay Pole.” Selong offered. “Ako rin yung may kasalanan. Pole, sorry, hindi ko sinasadya -“

 

“Alam ko, kaya hindi mo kailangang humingi ng tawad.” Pole replied calmly, patting the stains repeatedly with both the handkerchief and tissues. “At ‘wag na, nakakahiya sa’yo. Si Miong na lang.”

 

“Oonga, Selong.” Miong couldn’t help the smirk on his face. “ _Ako_ ang bahala kay Pole. Malapit na mag-bell, baka ma-late ka pa.”

 

“Hindi, Miong.” Selong then took the handles of Pole’s wheelchair, grasping it. “Mauna ka na umakyat. Mabilis lang ‘to.”

 

“Ako nga sabi, eh!” Miong forcefully pushed Selong away from behind Pole’s wheelchair so he could take the handles. 

 

Selong groaned, rolling his eyes. “Miong ‘wag kang maarte!”

 

“Ba’t kayo nagsisigawan?” Pole interrupted.

 

“Hindi kami nagsisigawan!” Miong and Selong exclaimed in unison.

 

After a short lecture from Pole about how he could take care of himself, they begrudgingly agreed that they could _both_ take him to the Principal’s Office for the extra uniform. Miong and Selong said nothing to each other as they waited, though they did their best to give each other their most piercing glares.

 

*

 

Miong was pretty sure that fate liked seeing him fail.

 

 _None_ of the gifts he gave turned out well, from an out of stock novel, to giving away expensive pens, to spilt coffee. This was his _last_ chance to get things right. They were revealing their Secret Valentines’ on Friday, which meant he only had two days to make the final gift, the journal, special.

 

He knew at this point that expensive gifts backfired on him (probably karma for going beyond the assigned budget), so his new strategy was to make the journal personalized.

 

Miong already purchased one, plain black without any lines inside according to Pole’s wish, and hardbound for sturdiness. Staring at it with discontent, he knew he would hate himself for the rest of the year if he gave the journal as is.

 

“Isip, Miong, _isip_.” He said, tapping his temples with his palm, hoping for something, _anything_. His eyes floated around his table, glazing over piles of papers for school, scattered pens, his labelled books -

 

He sat up straighter, the idea passing through his mind. With a smile, he grabbed the journal and his wallet, and rushed out of his room. “Ma!” He called out as he dashed down the hallway. “Kailangan kong pumuntang mall!”

 

*

 

_Day 19_

 

“Lahat ba nandito?” Miong called over the noise, his classmates nervously chattering away, only adding to the increase in volume. He gritted his teeth. 

 

Beside him, Pole sighed loudly. “Guys, pwedeng makinig nang sandali?”

 

Even if he hadn’t meant to, the ice in Pole’s words was enough to freeze the entire class, effectively eliminating noise and directing their attention to the front. 

 

“Salamat.” Miong said with a smile to his best friend, before turning to face everyone. “Game, revelation na para sa Secret Valentines’ natin. Pole, gusto mong nauna?”

 

Pole nodded, and he took the copy of F. Sionil Jose’s _Masa_ from his lap. “Andoy?” 

 

His smile faded instantly. _Tangina naman_. Miong had been so busy planning and lamenting over his Secret Valentines’ gifts that he never wondered who Pole got. Of all people, it had to be _Andoy_.

 

“Uy!” Andoy’s eyes lit up as he walked over to Pole and took the book from his hands, admiring the cover. “Salamat, ah!”

 

Miong waited patiently as everyone gave their final gifts to their respective Valentines’, with some combinations turning out either sweet -

 

“Ikaw pala ‘yun!” Pepe said as he embraced Tonio, who gifted him the international, annotated version of _The Lord of the Flies_.

 

or heart-warming -

 

“Saan mo ‘to nabili?” José exclaimed, practically jumping up and down as Manuel handed him a DVD pack of the top three Studio Ghibli movies.

 

“Manonood tayo mamaya, ha?” Manuel beamed at him.

 

or down-right hilarious - 

 

“Bakit plastic bag?” Goyong asked, to which Rusca exclaimed, “Supot!”

 

until eventually, it was Miong’s turn. Holding Paco’s gift with his left hand (the new Fall Out Boy CD and a pack of Flat Tops), he turned to Pole and handed him the black journal, now debossed on the lower right corner not only in Pole’s neat cursive, but with the name he always used in signing documents. _Ap Mabini._

 

“Ang effort mo.” Pole chuckled softly, smoothing his palm over the surface of his new journal. 

 

Miong bent his head, the blood rushing to his cheeks. “Siyempre, para sa’yo.”

 

Pole looked him in the eye and gave a small but meaningful smile, and he didn’t bother to stop the fluttering in his stomach. 

 

“Ang sweet naman!” Rusca teased.

 

“ _YIEEE!!_ ” The class chorused, which effectively broke the spell on Miong.

 

“Pwede ba!” He exclaimed loudly, to which Pole just laughed. 

 

*

 

“Nagulat ka ba na ako ang Secret Valentine mo?” Miong asked as they walked out of the empty classroom, closing the door behind them. It was the end of the day, end of a _long_ week, and only the joy from their Valentines’ revelations lightened the heavy weight on Miong’s chest.

 

Pole snickered, a glint in his eye. “Alam ko naman na ikaw, eh.”

 

Miong immediately stopped walking, eyes widening. “ _HA?_ ” His voice echoed through the now-empty halls.

 

“Sino pa ba sa mga kaklase natin ang may green Post-It?”

 

 _Ay. Tanga_. “G-Ganung ka-obvious?”

 

Pole rolled his eyes. “Kahit kailan, Miong, hindi ka naging subtle.” 

 

_Eh sana alam mo ngayon na may gusto ako sa ‘yo._

 

“Pero,” Pole interrupted, wheeling himself closer until he was right in front of Miong. “Gusto ko lahat ng ibinigay mo, lalong-lalo na yung journal. Ginawa mo pang personalized.”

 

“Wala lang ‘yun.” Miong replied sheepishly, scratching the back of his head. 

 

“Syempre, yung best friend ko lang ang makakaisip ng ganun.” The look on Pole’s face was one of happiness, and a little pride. 

 

“I…uh…” Miong muttered dumbly, not knowing what to do with an expression like that. 

 

“Happy Valentines’ Day.” Pole whispered, his eyes softening. “And thank you.”

 

Miong was sure he stopped breathing at some point. “Happy Valentines’.” He replied breathily, feeling lightheaded. 

 

Eyes wandering away, Pole started wheeling himself forward slowly, Miong following not a second later. They walked towards the school gate and out in happy, companionable silence.

 

 _I love you_. Miong thought along the way, sneaking glances as Pole talked about their plans for the weekend. Someday, he hoped to say those words without hiding behind their friendship.

 

*** 


End file.
